Skinners reinforcement and punishment

Skinner’s Reinforcement and Punishment
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Skinner’s Reinforcement and Punishment
Reinforcement and punishment are doctrines applied in “operant conditioning.” These terms were coined by a classical psychologist commonly referred to as B.F Skinner. Under this approach, Skinner believed that classical conditioning lacked the capacity to explain the complex human behavior. He suggested that we should delve into the triggers of behavior and its impact. In the process, he introduced the terms ‘punishment’ and ‘reinforcement.’ According to Ferster (1964), reinforcement refers to a way of enhancing a behavior. It is also any outcome or result that increases the chances of a given behavioral response hence ‘reinforcing’ the habit. The strengthening impact on the habit may occur in many ways such as higher rate, increased duration and low latency of response. On the other hand, ‘punishment’ implies a decline in behavior. In this respect, in is an outcome that lowers the chances of a particular behavioral response.
In my personal life, I have seen these principles manifest in various ways. Being the eldest in a family of three children I often find myself applying these principles on my younger siblings. For instance, I like praising my younger brother who is in elementary school whenever he completes a task or homework. Sometimes I take both of them out for a movie on a weekend when their behavior has been exemplary in that week so as to motivate them to continue doing so.

I believe this is in line with the reinforcement principle. I also apply the punishment principle whenever any of them portrays a bad habit such as not completing homework of leaving their rooms untidy. For instance, I at times prohibit them from watching their favorite TV program as a punishment. Recently my parents strongly reprimanded me after I used the family car without their knowledge considering that I am a minor and I do not have a driving license.
I also believe that my top strengths in life are as a result of consistent application of the reinforcement and punishment doctrines on me. For instance, I am a hardworking individual, a habit which was cultivated by my parents and teachers from a very young age through reinforcement. During my middle-level school days, I actively participated in various swimming competitions. My parents and teachers always gave me positive feedback, something which motivated me to work harder. The climax of my efforts was when I reached the national championships and won the overall award. My parents rewarded me with a three-day retreat in one of the finest holiday destinations in Brazil. Ever since I value the importance of being industrious in whatever I do.
I must also admit that not all experiences in my middle school life were so good. Nevertheless, they shaped my current behavior. A case in point is when I was involved in a fight with a classmate over a minor issue. Fighting was considered a serious offense in school punishable by a two weeks suspension from school. I had to stay at home for two weeks and also missed a lot of privileges from my parents. This served as a wake-up call for me to change for the better. I learned that violence is a bad habit the hard way, but I promised myself never to engage in a fight again henceforth. Somehow I see this experience as a blessing in disguise since it made me a better person, perhaps without it I would not have appreciated the need to use dialogue instead of violence.
References
Ferster, C. B. (1964). Reinforcement and punishment in the control of human behavior by social agencies. Experiments in Behaviour Therapy (New York: Macmillan Co., 1964), 189-206.